Syracuse University football team gets strength and conditioning blast from the past

Frank Ordonez/The Post-StandardJunior tailback DeLeone Carter of the Syracuse University football team displays the pipes during a recent practice.

Syracuse, NY -- Out with the new and in with the old. It has been the mantra of the Syracuse University football team ever since former Orange offensive tackle Doug Marrone became head coach in December. It is the response to four years of futility under Greg Robinson.

Marrone's blast from the past approach can be seen and felt everywhere, from the team's orderly locker room to the players' clean-shaven, jewelry-free appearance to regular practice sessions in the steamy Carrier Dome.

The most striking display of dejà vu, though, took place over the summer, and Marrone wasn't even around to witness it. While the rookie head coach embarked on a summer bus tour in an attempt to sell his vision to fans hardened by Robinson's 10-37 tenure, his players gathered with veteran strength and conditioning coaches Will Hicks and Hal Luther and got a taste of life in orange B.G. (Before Greg).

"The only thing we're going to say about it, because we're moving forward, is it's more bringing back the old ways of Syracuse football," Hicks said. "It's just bringing back things from the past that we knew were proven measures of success."

Among them was a test SU players B.G. had come to dread - the 16 110-yard dashes, each to be completed within a certain time depending on position, with a short rest between each one.

"It's an old standard football test that's been run forever," Hicks said. "It's a speed/endurance test, and you need both in football."

The test came during "finals week," a five-day trial that ended the voluntary summer workout season. Each day featured some combination of lifting and running and each player's attempt to surpass ambitious goals set before the summer began. A new addition was three 400-yard "gassers" designed to test a player's endurance - and his will.

"These players have never had to experience anything like that," Luther said.

They have now, and it is paying off.

"I have X amount of reps in practice we are now able to get done, whereas last spring I wasn't able to get them done," Marrone said following a recent practice. "Now that we're getting it done I have to look at the practice (plan) and say I can get another 10 or 15 (reps) in, and that's going to help us."

Hicks said the tone for such efficiency was set by Marrone shortly after he arrived.

"The coach wanted to change the climate of what was expected and the climate of how we allowed the players to prepare for it," Hicks said. "The climate is don't ever set your goals short. Set them high and then have a plan to get there."

The plan, Hicks and Luther said, is similar to the one they employed to help former SU players such as Dwight Freeney, David Tyree, Morlon Greenwood and Josh Thomas transform their bodies into NFL models.

"Guys who set standards not just for us but standards even at the next level," Hicks said.

Ambitious weight-room and running goals and the dogged pursuit of them is a decidedly different direction than the one Robinson chose to take, although neither Hicks nor Luther would comment beyond that.

"It's very refreshing to us," Hicks said. "This summer was outstanding. The kids bought into it. The kids want to experience what we've experienced in the past. They want to see why Dwight Freeney always comes back here to train. He's the best of the best, and he does it for a reason. We fax him his workout every Monday year-round. He could go anyplace in America, but he thinks this is the best. A lot of kids know that and want to experience what he has experienced."

Even if part of the experience is those 16 110s.

"Ah, the week before we did the test we did 24 of them with less rest and recovery than we gave them on test day," Hicks said, testifying to the condition of the 2009 Orange. "And when we ran the 16 on day it was no problem."

"It was like a day off," Luther said.

Hicks and Luther said the shift in philosophy to the days B.G. has kindled a spirit of competitiveness and accountability among the players.

"They're accountable for their goals and for our goals," Hicks said. "They're accountable every day for what they bring to the table. Now when they come in they come in as a group ready to work - shoes tied, tape on - everything's ready. The workout is an opportunity to improve, and they only get a certain amount of opportunities."

"It's been intense," senior defensive tackle Arthur Jones said. "We've all been working hard, giving it our all. Coach Hicks did a fantastic job of pushing us to the limit. We're ready. We're going to be a well-conditioned team this year."

It is more evidence that it is out with the new and in with the old at SU these days.

Finals week

Will Hicks said a grueling week of strength and conditioning tests at the end of summer workouts was no surprise quiz for SU football players.

"We met with every individual player during the spring and went over what we were going to do this summer, how we were going to test and what the expectations were," Hicks said. "And then we held them to it over the summer. So, test week was kind of an exciting week, with guys trying to pass the goals they had set for themselves, goals we had set for them. It made it fun, made it exciting, made it competitive."

Wednesday: Body fat/body weight and 16 110-yard dashes with a short rest between, with linemen having to completed each one within 19 seconds, linebackers and tight ends within 17 seconds and skill positions within 16 seconds.

Thursday: Squats.

Friday: Three 400-yard "gassers," again timed and with a short rest between each one.